New York Today: A Treacherous Wintry Mix

Updated 10:57 a.m.

Good Wednesday morning. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, this: snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, ice.

And this: crippled roads and rails, salt shortages, power failures, floods, manhole fires, car-swallowing potholes, water-main breaks.

Here’s what you need to know:

- The snow has changed over to sleet, freezing rain and rain. It varies by neighborhood. Grab your umbrella.

- Four inches of snow fell Central Park, up to eight inches north and west of the city. See totals.

- Surfaces are slippery everywhere. A layer about a quarter-inch thick coats Central Park. “The rain will freeze on frozen ground, snow pack, and trees and power lines,” the National Weather Service said.

- Whatever falls will taper off around lunchtime, with a high of 33.

- Many train and subway lines are suspended or seriously delayed. Many roads are in awful shape. For more, see “Commute” section below.

- States of Emergency have been declared in New York and New Jersey because of salt shortages.

- Governor Cuomo has shut down I-84 in New York State. Drivers will be ticketed.

- Prepare for a long, slushy and eventually icy evening commute. Temperatures will hover above freezing this evening, falling into the low 20s overnight.

- Nearly 70,000 homes are without power â€" over 60,000 in New Jersey, 5,000 on Long Island and 2,500 in New York City.

- There are reports of building damage, including a roof collapse on University Avenue in the Bronx and a collapsed awning at a Duane Reade in Union Square.

- Manhole fires have been reported in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. They are common when salt corrodes wires and mixes with moisture.

- Alternate-side parking is suspended again.

- You can see what streets in the city have been plowed with the city’s Plow Tracker.

- Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut ordered non-essential state employees to stay home.

- New York City public schools are open - to the chagrin of many parents - but field trips are canceled.

- Many suburban schools are closed or opening late. See list.

Please tell us about your travels, in the comments or on Twitter at #nytoday.

Here’s what else is happening.

COMMUTE

Subways: There is no 7 service from Queensboro Plaza to Times Square, and no service on the 1, 2 or 3 from 42nd to 137th. Delays on the 4, 5 and 6 and the southbound Q. Check latest status.

Rails: N.J. Transit Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines suspended. Delays of 30 minutes on other lines.

Delays of 90 minutes on the L.I.R.R. between Jamaica and Mineola.

Systemwide delays of 30 minutes on Metro-North.

Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Buses: Widespread delays. Check latest status of city buses.

Roads: Countless accidents and disabled cars blocking traffic on North Jersey highways. Flooding, too. Route 280 closed eastbound near West Orange because of floods. Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Air Travel: A mess, especially Newark. Check with your airline or see map of delays and cancellations.

COMING UP TODAY

Please check for weather-related cancellations.

- Mayor de Blasio makes an announcement at noon in the Bronx at the Osborne Association, which helps former prisoners.

- The Rockettes perform, briefly, at Grand Central at 11 a.m. [Free]

- A jazz duo plays a lunchtime concert at Brookfield Place at the World Financial Center every Wednesday in February - including today - for black history month. 12:30 p.m. [Free]

- Actors read the short stories of B.J. Novak, a writer of “The Office,” at Symphony Space. 7:30 p.m. [$28 - sold out but some more tickets may appear today]

- Around 500 runners sprint up the 86 flights of the Empire State Building. 8 p.m.

- Pussy Riot members give the opening address at a benefit show for Amnesty International featuring the Flaming Lips and Imagine Dragons, at Barclays Center. 8 p.m. [Tickets still available]

- The Labyrinth Theater Company holds a candlelight vigil for Philip Seymour Hoffman in the courtyard of the Bank Street Theater. 6:30 p.m.

- And Broadway theaters dim their marquees for one minute in memory of the actor. 7:45 p.m.

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

IN THE NEWS

- Mayor de Blasio won’t march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, because it bars pro-gay messages. But he won’t stop uniformed city workers from marching. [Politicker]

- Four people were arrested with more than 350 bags of heroin in connection with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death, the authorities said. [New York Times]

- Police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl in Far Rockaway. [New York Post]

- The 29-year-old man accused of creating Silk Road, an online drug emporium that processed $1 billion in Bitcoins, was indicted by federal authorities in New York. [Associated Press]

- A study found residents of the city’s glass towers could broil during a heat-wave power failure. “It’s like being in a car,” said the head of the council that did the study. [WNYC]

- Did you know it’s against the law for waiters to serve you water without your asking for it? Not for much longer, though. [New York Times]

- There are new baby marmosets at the Prospect Park Zoo. [Gothamist]

Scoreboard: Rangers bury Avalanche, 5-1. Islanders edge Capitals, 1-0.

AND FINALLY …

It’s National Weatherperson’s Day.

On this day, in 1744, a weather observer was born.

John Jeffries began noting daily weather patterns in Boston when he was 30. Ten years later, he rode the first weather balloon.

Several of Mr. Jeffries’s spiritual children carry on his legacy just east of us, at the National Weather Service outpost in Upton, Long Island.

We called to wish them the best on their special day.

David Wally, who picked up the phone, was distracted by the snow, but took a moment to give us a glimpse into the meteorologist’s heart.

“Everyone here has something they’re really into,” said Mr. Wally, who got into the weather business two decades ago.

Tropical storms, severe weather, snowstorms.

“It’s something in mother nature’s fury that got us into this,” he said. “It’s not the devastation, it’s the fascination with the power.”

So, what was his particular passion?

“For me, it’s the big winter storm.”

Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

New York Today is a morning roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning.

What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday.

Find us on weekdays at nytoday.com.